JRE: What No One Realizes About Simone Biles

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The Unusual Parents of ‘Fitness Queen’ Simone Biles

Abandoned by her drug-addicted biological mother as a child, American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles was adopted by her grandfather and his second wife, so she calls them her parents.

Simone Biles and her three siblings were placed in foster care at the age of three by her mother, Shanon, who was addicted to drugs and alcohol and was in and out of prison. Her father, Kelvin Clemons, was also addicted and was completely absent from the athlete’s life. In several interviews, she has described her childhood of hunger, the fear of living with her mother, and the joy of her grandfather’s visits.

Simone Biles calls her grandfather and second wife her parents. Photo: Simone Biles Instagram

At the age of 6, the American athlete and her younger sister were adopted by her grandfather and moved to Texas to live with him. Simone Biles’ older siblings were raised by her grandfather’s sister in Ohio. During her appearance on the TV show Dancing with the Stars in 2017, Simone Biles recalled the moment her grandfather and step-grandmother told her and her sister that they could call them mom and dad if they wanted to. And since then, she has called Ronald and Nellie mom and dad.

The 1997-born athlete has shared many times that if it weren’t for her adoptive parents, she wouldn’t have achieved the success she has today. Simone Biles has said many times that there are no words to describe the gratitude she has received from both of them. She said that being adopted by her grandparents was a turning point in her life, opening up a new, bright life, completely different from the dark years before.

Soon after adopting Simone Biles and her sister, Ronald and Nellie enrolled the Biles sisters in gymnastics. “Simone never missed a day of practice. Even when she was sick, I asked her to stay home, but she said no and went to practice anyway,” Nellie once shared with People . “They supported us in every way possible. They made sure we had everything we needed to be the best we could be,” the gymnastics superstar confided. Simone Biles’ sister was also a gymnast.

Simone Biles’ husband and parents cheer her on at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Splash

Simone Biles’ career took off when her parents opened a gym in Texas in 2014, where she trained for the Tokyo Olympics. Ronald and Nellie’s gym was a popular place for black kids who loved to exercise. Simone Biles says her parents were great role models for how to treat others. When she returned home from the Tokyo Olympics with a troubled mind, Simone Biles found peace and balance in her parents’ arms.

Ronald Biles, now in his 70s, and his second wife, Nellie, met in San Antonio while he was serving in the Air Force. He was a single father and Nellie was in college. They married in 1977 and have two sons.

Although Ronald and Nellie are close to Simone Biles, they are also very strict. The American athlete said she was hesitant and scared when bringing her fiancé, Jonathan Owens, to meet her parents. However, the rugby player quickly won the hearts of his future parents-in-law. Neille helped Simone Biles prepare for her wedding in 2023.

Overcoming mental problems at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles returned to her peak form at the Paris Olympics when she won three gold medals and one silver medal. Photo: Instagram Simone Biles

Ronald Biles and Nellie have never missed any of Simone Biles’s tournaments, except for the 2020 Paris Olympics due to Covid-19. Both of them, along with Jonathan Owens, also went to Paris to support their “adopted daughter” at the Olympics , witnessing the moment she “avenged” the Tokyo Olympics three years ago with three gold medals and one silver medal. Simone Biles became the most successful gymnast in the world with 12 Olympic medals, including 7 gold medals.